The association between Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) infection and diabetes mellitus remains controversial. With the improvement of living standards, the prevalence rate of diabetes is steadily increasing in China. Thus, it is necessary to explore the possible association between toxoplasmosis and diabetes mellitus in China. Hence, case-control studies were conducted to explore the T. gondii seroprevalence and identify the risk factors and possible transmission routes of T. gondii infection in different types of diabetes, including type 1 diabetes (T1DM), type 2 diabetes (T2DM), and gestational diabetes (GDM) patients in China. Four hundred serum samples for each type of diabetes mellitus, matched with 400 control subjects for each group, were collected and examined for anti-T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies using commercially available enzyme immunoassay kits. The total T. gondii seroprevalence in T1DM, T2DM, and GDM patients was 16.50%, 23.50%, and 21.25%, respectively. Each type of diabetes mellitus patients had a significantly higher T. gondii seroprevalence than the control subjects. Multivariate regression identified three variables as risk factors for T. gondii infection in diabetes patients, including keeping cats at home and consumption of raw oysters for T1DM patients and consumption of raw/undercooked meat and raw oysters for T2DM patients, which may help to guide future research and control policies in diabetes mellitus patients.

The aim of this study was to explore the epidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii infection in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) in eastern China. Therefore, 287 primary CRC patients and 287 age-matched healthy control subjects were recruited to estimate the seroprevalence of T. gondii and identify the risk factors of infection. Enzyme-linked immunoassays were used to test for anti-T. gondii immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM antibodies. Forty-six (16%) samples were positive for anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies in patients with CRC, compared with 26 (9.1%) in the healthy controls, a significant difference ( P = 0.007 ). By contrast, eight (2.8%) patients tested positive for T. gondii IgM antibodies, compared with three (1.1%) in the controls, a difference that was not significant ( P = 0.13 ). Multivariable backward stepwise logistic regression analysis revealed that a rural residence (OR 2.83; 95% CI 1.15–7.01; P = 0.024 ) and treatment with chemotherapy (OR 2.16; 95% CI 1.02–4.57; P = 0.045 ) were risk factors for T. gondii infection in patients with CRC. Thus, T. gondii infection is serious in patients with CRC, and a rural residence and treatment with chemotherapy are independent risk factors for infection by this parasite. Therefore, medical professionals should be aware of this pathogen in patients with CRC, and the causes of T. gondii infection in these patients need to be explored further.

Objective. Molecular hydrogen (H2) has been considered a potential therapeutic target in many cancers. Therefore, we sought to assess the potential effect of H2 on colorectal cancer (CRC) in this study. Methods. The effect of H2 on the proliferation and apoptosis of RKO, SW480, and HCT116 CRC cell lines was assayed by CCK-8, colony formation, and flow cytometry assays. The effect of H2 on tumor growth was observed in xenograft implantation models (inhalation of 67% hydrogen two hours per day). Western blot and immunohistochemistry analyses were performed to examine the expression of p-PI3K, PI3K, AKT, pAKT, and SCD1 in CRC cell lines and xenograft mouse models. The expression of SCD1 in 491 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded CRC specimens was investigated with immunochemistry. The relationship between SCD1 status and clinicopathological characteristics and outcomes was determined. Results. Hydrogen treatment suppressed the proliferation of CRC cell lines independent of apoptosis, and the cell lines showed different responses to different doses of H2. Hydrogen also elicited a potent antitumor effect to reduce CRC tumor volume and weight in vivo. Western blot and IHC staining demonstrated that H2 inhibits CRC cell proliferation by decreasing pAKT/SCD1 levels, and the inhibition of cell proliferation induced by H2 was reversed by the AKT activator SC79. IHC showed that SCD1 expression was significantly higher in CRC tissues than in normal epithelial tissues (70.3% vs. 29.7%, p = 0.02 ) and was correlated with a more advanced TNM stage (III vs. I + II ; 75.9% vs. 66.3%, p = 0.02 ), lymph node metastasis (with vs. without; 75.9% vs. 66.3%, p = 0.02 ), and patients without a family history of CRC (78.7% vs. 62.1%, p = 0.047 ). Conclusion. This study demonstrates that high concentrations of H2 exert an inhibitory effect on CRC by inhibiting the pAKT/SCD1 pathway. Further studies are warranted for clinical evaluation of H2 as SCD1 inhibitor to target CRC.